One of my biggest pet peeves about Apple’s iTunes store is that it’s almost impossible to downgrade to a previous version of an App once it has been “updated”.

For example, let’s say a developer releases a free game. Then, in a fit of pure evil, releases an update that adds “in-app purchases” that are not even necessary. Once you update the game, though, you can’t go back to the previous version.

STEP THREE: Right-click (or control-click) on the app and go to SHOW IN FINDER

03 App Backup And Restore

STEP FOUR: A folder will open called MOBILE APPLICATIONS. (These are all of the apps you have ever downloaded in iTunes.)

04 App Backup And Restore

STEP FIVE: Go to EDIT in the top menu and go to SELECT ALL. All of the items in the MOBILE APPLICATIONS folder should then be highlighted.

05 App Backup And Restore

STEP SIX: Now go to FILE and LABEL and choose a label color. (I chose green). All of the apps in the MOBILE APPLICATIONS folder should then change to that color.

06 App Backup And Restore

STEP SEVEN: Close the MOBILE APPLICATIONS folder.**

Now when you go to the iTunes store and UPDATE an app (again, in this example I used TIMENOTES)…

07 App Backup And Restore

…when the UPDATE is done, open the TRASH in the dock.

08 App Backup And Restore

There’s the OLD version of the app!!

The updated app is already in the Mobile Applications folder, but iTunes keeps a copy of the old version of the app in the TRASH for a limited time!

Drag it out and save it somewhere for safekeeping!

If you don’t like the “updated” app, just follow steps one through four and delete the “updated” version from the MOBILE APPLICATIONS folder. Then copy the old version of the app back into the MOBILE APPLICATIONS folder and re-sync your iPad or iPhone.

Done!

** Addendum: If you want to be extra cautious about backing up your apps, follow steps one through six and copy everything in the mobile applications folder to a external drive for a complete backup. You can also tell which apps have been recently updated because they will not have a color-label.

*** Addendum #2: For those of you who noticed, yes, I have a LOT of apps. In my defense, I’ve been with iTunes since it was a alpha, so I’ve had a lot of time to accumulate what’s out there.